Changes in Latitude, Changes in Attitude
by WookieeBeta
Summary: [Mid. Virtual Reality AU] Kaiba wins his duel with Mokuba. Unfortunately, his Board of Directors doesn't give up quite so easily. PG13 for violence and language.
1. Foul Weather

**Disclaimer: **WookieeBeta does not own Jimmy Buffett or his song, "Changes in Latitude, Changes in Attitude". She does own his daughter's name, but that's not her fault. She also suggests that you go listen to some of his stuff because Buffett is the awesome. In addition, she refuses to make this disclaimer in every chapter because the title has nothing to do with fanfiction – it was a convenient turn of phrase that, unfortunately, has already been used.

**Disclaimer: **WookieeBeta does not own Yuugiou. She considers herself lucky to have one badly-dubbed DVD and two English-style manga. All lawsuits will be ignored.

**Warning: **Language.

* * *

Changes in Latitude, Changes in Attitude 

Chapter One: Foul Weather

By WookieeBeta

* * *

It was a dark and stormy night. Howling winds whipped the sea's surface into white-capped waves and tossed them carelessly onto the shore, where they pounded mercilessly against age-old stone. A lone bird struggled against the storm. 

Miles below the surface, a giant submarine building swayed ever so gently. A tiny camera swiveled to stare out of a nearby porthole; the water was darker than usual, clouded with swirling filth and sediment. The mini-computer within the camera recorded the weather and sent the data on to the central terminal. A quiet beep was the only acknowledgement.

"Ra-damned storm," Marik cursed. Having lived on a boat for several months just recently, he knew what the almost unnoticeable vibrations under his feet meant. He also knew that this was the one time he _couldn't_ blow anything up - if he breached the outer hull, the giant ship would have to surface, and in a storm of this magnitude that was out of the question. And he couldn't exactly take over the world if he died here, could he?

"Stupid stupid Ra-damned storm..."

The other minds contained within the structure were blissfully unaware of the storm. Or, rather, this particular one.

"Why in hell did he have to lose during the Ice Ages!" Jou raged. "It's fricking freezing!"

Yuugi shivered violently, hugging himself to conserve at least some warmth. "It's not as bad as it could be, Jou," he said. "At least Kaiba won, and Mokuba's back where he should be. Right, guys?" He tossed a glance over at the Kaiba brothers, but the elder was busy wrapping his trench coat around the younger, so he received no reply. Biting his lip to keep back a sigh, he plowed onward through the rising snow.

"We've got to get to shelter," Shizuka said a long while later. Her voice was weak. "I'm...going numb..."

Honda, still trapped as a robo-monkey, jumped from her shoulder onto Jou's and scrambled up onto the blonde's head. "There's something big not too far away. We can try for that," he reported. It took another hour and a half of forcing their way through knee-high snow (considerably higher for poor Yuugi) to make it there; 'there' turned out to be the lee-side of the overturned truck.

"Never thought I'd see this again," Jou sighed. He ran a hand over the icy steel.

"Never thought I'd _want_ to," Otogi retorted, scowling. He'd been tossed from the back, thanks to Jou's wonderful driving skills. "My back still hurts, thanks to you."

Yuugi collapsed against the truck, thanking every deity he could think of for the relative warmth it provided. Anzu followed suit. He leaned his head against her shoulder for a moment, wanting nothing more than to fall into the deep blackness of sleep, but then his eyes snapped back open.

"You're shivering!"

"And y-y-you're n-not?" she chattered, gesturing at his own quaking form.

He gave an embarrassed grin, but peeled off his school jacket. "Here," he said, handing it to her. "Take this."

"But what about you?" she asked incredulously. He shrugged, and she took the offered jacket hesitantly. "Thanks, Yuugi," she murmured.

"You're welcome..."

* * *

**A/N 1:** Yeah, yeah, short, I know. This was originally written as one really really long short story, and it doesn't break up very well, so…yeah. There are going to be a lot of little chapters. I'll try to post two or three at a time, though. 

The inspiration for this particular slice of insanity actually came from playing a game on the computer…one little scene, that was all I wanted! Seriously! I just…didn't…leave it that way… sweatdrop

**A/N 2:** Fixed a couple of typos and changed the title. – WB 08Nórui2006


	2. They're Back

**Disclaimer: **WookieeBeta does not own Yuugiou. Takahashi does, that lucky ba – er, person.

* * *

Changes in Latitude, Changes in Attitude 

Chapter Two: They're Back

By WookieeBeta

* * *

Blackness. Blissfully warm. No monsters, no Big Five, no dueling, no cold, no fear, no danger...just warmth, and softness, and comfort. 

"Yuugi! Yuugi, get up!" a familiar voice snapped.

Yuugi groaned in protest, but didn't move; he was so warm...

"Move over, Kaiba - you and Mokuba get going! I'll get Yuug and follow ya, okay?" Jou? Why...why was Jou being nice to Kaiba? Something must be wrong! Suddenly worried, Yuugi clawed his way towards consciousness, but he was suddenly tired...so tired...

"Come on, Yuug, we gotta go," Jou said, kneeling down by his sleeping friend and shaking his shoulders. "Come on, buddy, wake up...you can't sleep any more, the Big Five are coming, we gotta go! Come _on_, Yuugi, wake up!" Yuugi moaned and curled up into a tight ball; Jou's anxiety increased considerably. The little guy never took this long to wake up. "Yuug? Yuug, you okay, man? Look, we haven't got time for this - I'm just gonna carry ya, all right?" No answer; no surprise there. The blonde stooped and wrapped his arms around his freezing companion, lifting him into the air and heading off at a lumbering run.

_He's light,_ he realized suddenly. _Too light..._ "You gotta start eating more, buddy," he commented aloud.

Behind them, four imposing silhouettes (and one not so imposing penguin) followed relentlessly.

The heat of Jou's torso on Yuugi's bare arms was a blazing inferno; he whimpered softly and tried to wiggle away, but Jou grasped him more tightly. Slowly, so slowly, his own skin began to warm, and the agony faded.

"Jouno," he murmured eventually, "Jou, put me down, I can walk."

"You sure?" Jou asked concernedly. "You don't look so good..."

Yuugi shook his head. "I'm fine, Jou, really I am...just put me down, all right?" The blonde hesitated, but he carefully set Yuugi's feet down in the snow and helped him stand straight.

"Come on, we gotta move," he urged. The two took off at a dead run.

"What's going on?" Yuugi panted a moment later.

"It's the Big Five again. Now that Kaiba's put Noa out of the picture, they found a way to escape from whatever virtual prison he put 'em in and are after us again. And I think," he added with a glance over his shoulder, "they're gaining."

The only thing heard for some time was the sound of their feet crunching the snow.

* * *

**A/N 1:** Yup, another short chapter. Sorry… They don't get much better, either. 

If you haven't already figured it out, by the way, this is an AU that takes place immediately after Kaiba's duel with Noa. In the dub badness occurs and Yami is actually the one to finish the duel; in my world, Kaiba whoops Blue-Hair-Boy's rear …and _then _badness occurs grin  
I'm using the Japanese names as much as possible; if you need a Japanese-to-English comparison (or have any other questions at all, barring those about my sanity – it's nonexistent), please let me know.

**A/N 2:** Minor typo edits, changed the title. – WB 08Nórui2006


	3. Welcome to the Kaiba Family

**Disclaimer: **WookieeBeta does not own Yuugiou. Except in her stranger dreams.

* * *

Changes in Latitude, Changes in Attitude 

Chapter Three: Welcome to the Kaiba Family

By WookieeBeta

* * *

Icy blue eyes peered out from behind a heavy steel door and glared through the thickly falling snow. A strong fist slammed against the wall. 

"Where in the seven hells are they!" Kaiba raged. "Even if the chihuahua was carrying Mouto, they should be here by now..."

Huddled against the far wall, Mokuba heard his older brother's outburst and stood. "Seto? What's the matter?"

Kaiba frowned. He didn't want to worry his brother, but then again he was a smart kid. He'd just figure it out on his own anyway. "It's the mutt," he finally said. "We weren't that far ahead of him and Mouto when we left. They should have caught up to us long ago."

"Yeah..." It was the black-haired boy's turn to frown. "I hope they're okay."

Kaiba ruffled his brother's hair. "They'll turn up. They always do." Mokuba grinned, and the two walked back over to where the rest of the group was huddled.

Otogi lounged against the side of the hangar, eyeing something in the middle of the large room. "Hey, Kaiba," he said as the young CEO drew closer.

Kaiba raised an eyebrow at him.

"You think you can drive that thing?"

"What thing?"

Otogi pointed at the helicopter. Kaiba ran an appraising eye over the frame before hopping into the pilot's seat and resting his hands on the controls. He gave a small smirk.

"Of course I can. It's the same model as mine."

"Well, that's good."

"Any particular reason you wanted to know?"

"Because," Otogi said, suddenly grabbing Anzu and Shizuka's arms and propelling them toward the chopper, "we need to get out of here!" Kaiba's eyes snapped upwards to the window; in the uncomfortably near distance loomed the Big Five's deck masters. He cursed.

"Mokuba, get up here!" he snapped. The younger Kaiba vaulted up next to his brother, already reaching for the copilot's headset.

Honda blanched. "Mokuba's helping drive?"

"He's licensed. You're not. End of story," Kaiba snapped. "We're skimping on the pre-flight, Mokuba; just get her started."

"Right." Their hands flew back and forth over the console, Kaiba occasionally stretching over to move a lever Mokuba couldn't quite reach. As strange as it looked, it was obvious they both knew exactly what they were doing. A moment later, the motor roared to life, and the chopper ripped through the roof of the hangar.

"Er, Kaiba?" Anzu asked hesitantly. "Any particular reason we're heading straight for the Big Five?"

"Never played chicken, Anzu?" Mokuba retorted.

Kaiba snarled. "Left on eight. Two. Three. Four..."

Shizuka and Anzu clung to each other for dear life as the big-bellied helicopter bucked wildly. Honda's metal head met the ceiling with a nasty crack, and Otogi was thrown against the wall; then the flight path steadied again, and in the front both Kaibas were laughing.

"I told you watching Pearl Harbor was a good idea!" Mokuba sniggered.

Kaiba grinned. "But that was in planes. This is completely different."

The four passengers sweatdropped. Kaiba...was laughing? Smiling? Joking, even?

"This is so seriously screwed up," Anzu muttered. Behind them, the virtual businessmen-slash-deck masters regrouped, but the chopper was already pulling away.

* * *

**A/N 1:** Eh heh heh…definitely taking chapter title suggestions for this one. Thanks in advance! 

**A/N 2: **Minor typos fixed, a few verbs replaced, title changed. – WB 08Nórui2006


	4. Going In

**Disclaimer: **WookieeBeta does not own Yuugiou. And she is getting really tired of typing that.

* * *

Changes in Latitude, Changes in Attitude 

Chapter Four: Going In

By WookieeBeta

* * *

The chopper was quiet; Kaiba and Mokuba were relaxed, simply enjoying the freedom of flight, and Otogi, Honda, and Anzu were all asleep. Shizuka was staring absently out the window. 

Kaiba tossed a glance back in her direction, and a small frown crossed his face. _Poor girl_. But he had to admit, she was holding up extremely well. The first thing she'd seen after her operation was her brother being pulled into the depths of Domino Harbor by a large anchor; then she'd been thrown into the virtual world, left on her own, and no sooner had she found Otogi and Honda than was Honda defeated in a duel, and as a result tossed out of his own body. Now she was riding in a helicopter copiloted by a ten-year-old, wondering where her big brother was...if he was even alive. Yes, she was holding up extremely well.

"Seto," she said suddenly in a strangled voice.

The CEO jumped; only Mokuba ever called him that. "Yes? What is it?"

She pointed out the window, down at the shockingly white snowfall. "I think that's Jou and Yuugi down there!"

"It is," Mokuba said tersely after a quick glance.

Kaiba shook his head. "We can't stop. If we do, the Big Five will catch up, and then we're all done for."

"But Seto - !"

"No buts, Mokuba," Kaiba snapped. "We - we can't. It's out of the question." His voice was ragged, edged with something Mokuba couldn't quite identify. He shot a glance at his older brother.

"Well, that's just too bad then, because we're going in!" he decided. He knocked Seto's hands away from the console and spun the chopper around, heading back to the almost-invisible duelists.

"Yaaaaaaah!"

"What? What's going on?"

"Kaiba, where are we going!"

"Mokuba!"

The black-haired kid tossed an unsure grin at the furious brunette. "Sorry, Seto...but I can't just leave them there! We've got to try!"

Kaiba's glare intensified for a moment, but then he sighed. "Fine. I'll take her in; you and Otogi get them inside, and then we're taking back off. Got it?"

"You bet!"

The glittering snowbanks loomed closer.

* * *

**A/N 1:** Not much to say here… Snow is evil. Kaiba has issues. Mokuba has Kiddie Eyes, and The Little-Brother Power. I think that about covers it. 

**A/N 2:** Minor edits, title change. – WB 08Nórui2006


	5. Just Go

**Disclaimer: **WookieeBeta does not own Yuugiou. Nor does she own caffeine, which she seriously needs right now.

* * *

Changes in Latitude, Changes in Attitude 

Chapter Five: Just Go

By WookieeBeta

* * *

"Jou!" Yuugi exclaimed, pointing upwards. "Jou, look!" 

"Wha...? Aw, man! Come on, Yuug, we gotta get out of here!" He grabbed the shorter duelist's arm and began dragging him in the opposite direction.

"No, wait, Jou - that's Kaiba driving the helicopter!" He felt like doing a jig. They were saved! But wait...Kaiba didn't look happy. He kept glancing backwards and frowning at something. Yuugi shaded his eyes with a hand and searched the skyline. He cursed.

"What is it?"

"It's the Big Five," Yuugi growled. "They're too close - Kaiba'll never be able to get back off the ground! We've got to do something, Jou!" They started jumping up and down, waving and shouting for Kaiba to turn around, but the CEO steadfastly ignored them. The chopper slowed and stabilized.

WHAM!

Even from so far away, Yuugi could hear the screaming. Something very big and very heavy had hit the side of the helicopter, knocking it out of control; now it was plummeting towards the ground. Then the wild spin changed subtly; the blades kicked back into gear, and the chopper settled professionally into the snow. The door swung open.

"Come on!" Mokuba yelled. "We've gotta move! Come on, let's go!"

The two duelists took off at a dead run. Jou soon outpaced his shorter friend; he hesitated in the open door and glanced over his shoulder.

"Yuugi! Yuugi, look out!" he screamed. The shorter duelist spun around, and his eyes widened in fear. Jinzo: Psycho Shocker was standing just behind him, a ball of deadly energy already forming in his hands.

Thinking quickly, Yuugi pulled a random card out of his deck and held it in front of him, calling on dormant Shadow Powers to bring the monster to life. Big Shield Gardina shimmered into being just in time to take the brunt of the hit. Even so, the force of the blow sent him tumbling head over heels and forced the air from his lungs.

Jounouchi started back out of the chopper, but an iron hand on his arm pulled him up short.

"No," Mokuba shouted. "No, Jouno! Let him go! We have to leave!"

"But Yuugi - !"

"Get in!"

"Yuugi!"

Bleary-eyed, Yuugi tottered to unsteady feet. "Just go, Jounouchi! Go with Shizuka!" He pulled another card from his deck, and the puzzle glowed.

/Let me help/ Yami said.

/No. It's too cold for you, you'd freeze to death - this is my battle./

/But Yuugi -/

/I said no, all right/ Even mentally, his voice was breaking; the sound of the helicopter taking off behind him sounded more like burning bridges than anything else he'd ever heard. Sure, he'd faced death before, but that didn't mean he enjoyed it.

"Well, well," Jinzo gloated. "Look who's decided to stay and play. I guess I'm going to get a new body after all."

"In your dreams," Yuugi snarled.

The deck master didn't reply. Instead, he collected another sphere of energy between his palms and sent it flying at Yuugi; still winded, the young duelist couldn't move swiftly enough to dodge it.

/No! Yuugi/ The puzzle flashed for a brief instant, and Yuugi felt himself thrown roughly into his soul room as the spirit took over.

/What? Yami! No, don't - /

/Yuugi...I'm sorry.../ He felt the spirit separate from him, and as his eyes refocused he could just make out the ghostly form, limp on the ground.

Gentle violet eyes narrowed and glinted in sudden rage. "Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl," Yuugi growled, pulling two cards from the top of his deck. "Annihilate him!" The mages leapt forward to attack; Dark Magician Girl brought her staff down on Jinzo's head, but the armored mage spun at the last second, sending a blast of black magic to intercept an attack rushing towards Yuugi. The young duelist dropped to his knees as the two attacks collided overhead and cancelled each other out. He drew another card and tried to summon it, but no luck; having two monsters in action was already too much of a strain on his limited powers, he couldn't support a third.

By now the other members of the Big Five had caught up and entered the fray. Dark Magician Girl fell first, destroyed by an attack from Deep Sea Monster; the other mage just managed to save his master from another direct attack by throwing himself in its path. Still standing protectively over his unconscious dark's form, Yuugi brandished his Millennium Puzzle as a weapon, swinging it at the end of its chain like a mace; Nightmare Penguin learned the hard way just how sharp its edges were. But the gundam wasn't bothered by the cold metal, and it wrapped its iron fingers around the young duelist's neck. Yuugi kicked and writhed until he could struggle no more; he fell limp, and the gundam tossed him easily through the air to land crumpled several yards away.

"Jou," he whispered, and then everything went black.

* * *

**A/N 1:** The text inside theslashes (/…/) is mental speech, because FFN hates the vertical bars and I don't like underlining. No difference from person to person. I'll try to make it clear who's talking, but if there's any confusion please let me know and I'll try to fix it…thankies! 

**A/N 2:** Minor edits, title change. – WB 08Nórui2006


	6. A Moment's Respite

**Disclaimer: **WookieeBeta does not own Yuugiou. Please do not torment her with temptation.

**Warning: **Language.

* * *

Changes in Latitude, Changes in Attitude 

Chapter Six: A Moment's Respite

By WookieeBeta

* * *

The blades spun in a never-ending pattern, and Kaiba leaned his head against the back of the seat for a moment. _Might as well enjoy the peace while it lasts,_ he thought darkly. The fact that there was peace at all bothered him; it meant they weren't being pursued. And that meant that the Big Five were busy elsewhere. 

There was a muffled thud as Jou banged his head against the window again.

"Cut it out, mutt," the pilot snapped through gritted teeth.

_Thud._

Kaiba growled. "Katsuya..."

_Thud._

"Jou, please stop," Shizuka pleaded. "You're going to hurt yourself."

The blonde seemed to collapse into himself. "It's all I deserve," he muttered under his breath.

Blue eyes snapped open. "God damn it, Jounouchi, stop beating yourself up over it!" Kaiba snapped. "That's in the past - there's nothing anyone can do. It's not your fault. He made the decision to stay, not you. He chose to sacrifice himself; don't waste his life by giving yourself a concussion now, dammit! We don't have time - _I_ don't have time - to deal with your emotions!"

"What in hell would you know about it?" the blonde snapped back.

There was a stony silence during which Mokuba took the opportunity to steal a glance at his older brother. He jumped; Seto's eyes were glistening.

"Nii-sama...?" he asked softly.

The brunette's face was suddenly emotionless, all feelings hidden behind an impenetrable mask. "Just know this, chihuahua," he said coldly. "The next time you do that, I will personally throw you out of this chopper."

The blonde looked like he was about to retort, but Shizuka put her hand on his shoulder and he kept his mouth shut. There was no point arguing, anyway. Kaiba was right on one account: There was nothing he could do about it now. He sighed, and turned his head so Shizuka couldn't see the single tear coursing its way down his face.

* * *

**A/N 1:** Agh…this isn't moving like I'd hoped… I meant to upload another section yesterday, but never got around to it. Oh well ;; 

**A/N 2:** Minor edits; title change. – WB 08Nórui2006


	7. Open Portals

**Disclaimer: **WookieeBeta does not own Yuugiou. Two manga and a deck she'll never use, yes; the ideas, the characters, anything that will ever bring her money that at all relates to it (heck, anything that will bring her money at all), no.

**Warning: **Language.

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Changes in Latitude, Changes in Attitude 

Chapter Seven: Open Portals

By WookieeBeta

* * *

"Seto," Mokuba said softly, gently nudging his brother. "Seto, wake up. They're back." 

The young CEO snapped awake, mentally berating himself for falling asleep in the first place. "Where are they?"

Mokuba jerked his head backwards and said, "They're behind us. I just now saw them; I don't know how long they've been there. Everyone else is asleep."

"All for the better. That means I don't have to deal with the mutt's comments."

"I thought you'd say that," Mokuba said, smiling sadly. "But what are we going to do, Seto? We've only got another hour's worth of fuel left - less, if we have to dodge them. And we're helpless on the ground."

The older Kaiba wracked his mind for a solution. "The helicopter!" he exclaimed suddenly. "Damn it all! Why didn't I think of that earlier? Mutt!"

"Huh? Wha?" Jou blinked, trying to figure out who was talking.

"Good morning. Look under the seat and tell me if there's a laptop or something under there."

The blonde blinked again, this time in confusion, but looked anyway. "Yeah, there is. Why?"

Kaiba smirked. "Those idiots. If I can get maybe fifteen minutes with that computer and this chopper, I can hack into their system code and create an exit portal. Hold on; I'm going to try to lose them."

"And how exactly do you plan to do that!"

Kaiba pointed through the windshield. "You see that snowstorm over there?"

"You've _got_ to be kidding me..."

* * *

"Seto, we can't keep this up much longer!" Mokuba shouted. "We're almost out of fuel!" 

"I know," was the terse reply. "I'm going to bank left and bring us out of the storm. Unless I've gotten turned around, we should come out right next to a mountain; the six of you are all going to jump out as soon as we get close enough, all right?"

"But what about you? I'm not leaving without you!"

Kaiba spared a moment for a quick glare at his younger brother. "Oh, yes you will. As soon as you jump, I'm turning this scrap heap around and giving those bastards something to worry about. I'll open two portals from in here; one for you, one for me. We'll meet back up in the real world. If anything goes wrong, use the radio in my collar to contact KaibaCorp.; my secretary will help you, or she'll find herself out on the streets."

"But Seto - !"

"Left on three...two...one!"

There was a collective "Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" from the back of the helicopter; the sky cleared as they broke through the edge of the blizzard, and sure enough there was the mountainside looming dark and immovable before them. The CEO's keen eyes picked out a relatively flat spot instantly, and then they were there, the door was open, and Kaiba was shouting orders. The five passengers in the back tumbled out one after another and landed in the snow.

"Now you, Mokuba," Kaiba yelled. "Go on!"

"Seto, I can't - "

"Damn it, Mokuba, just do it!"

"But Seto - !" There were tears streaming down the young boy's face, and Kaiba wasn't too far from that himself. He pulled his younger brother into a tight, quick embrace.

"I love you, Mokuba," he whispered. "Now go. I'll see you soon, I promise."

"I love you too, Seto," Mokuba whispered back. Then he wiped his face with his sleeve and leapt wildly from the chopper, landing gracefully on his feet. Seto tore his eyes away and forced himself to focus on the task at hand.  
_If you screw this up now, he's dead,_ he reminded himself. He spun the chopper on its tail and headed straight towards where the Big Five were just coming out of the giant storm, simultaneously reaching backwards and catching the laptop as it skidded across the seat.

"Come on, come on, come on..." The computer seemed to take an agonizingly long time to boot up, but as soon as the screen appeared he started typing furiously. Minutes ticked by.

His eyes flicked up to the controls for an instant as the fuel gauge started flashing red. "Damnit! Too soon, too soon... Come _on_, you stupid machine!" Lines of code flashed by, and finally the screen came to rest on a single highlighted section. Kaiba smirked and went back to typing. It was easy; they were using a code he'd written years ago.

The red light flashed again, and the engine sputtered.

WHAM!

"Poor suckers," Kaiba muttered. He snapped the laptop closed and put his hands back on the controls. He had one last thing to do before he jumped through the portal waiting just beyond the still-open door.

* * *

**A/N:** Nyuaahaa. Chopper scene. Whole point of the whole thing. (I'm not kidding.) Combined what used to be two very short chapters into one; title change. – WB 09Nórui2006 


	8. Back Again

**Disclaimer: **WookieeBeta still does not own Yuugiou. And she is still not happy about it.

**Warning: **Language.

* * *

Changes in Latitude, Changes in Attitude 

Chapter Nine: Back Again

By WookieeBeta

* * *

"Stupid stupid Ra-damned storm..." 

THUD. THUD THUD THUD.

"Owwwww! Otogi, get your dicey butt off of me!"

"Honda, you're - you're not a monkey anymore!"

The brunette blinked. "Hey...you're right! Woohoo! I'm me again!" He leapt up off the floor and did a quick celebratory dance.

Shizuka frowned. "Hey, guys...where're Mokuba and my brother?"

THUD.

"Nooooo! Setoooooo!"

"...never mind. Mokuba, what's wrong?"

"What in the seven hells!"

Mokuba sniffled, trying valiantly to bring his voice back under control as he climbed to unsteady feet. "Seto... Nii-sama...he - "

THUD.

"Stupid fucking Moneybags!" Jou yelled, slamming his fist into the ground. "What the hell were you thinking!"

" - the helicopter," Mokuba finished. "He...blew it up...and I don't think he got out... Setoooo!" He fell back to his knees, wrapping his arms around himself and shaking. The ground around him was darkening with his tears.

"Shhh...shhh, Mokuba, it's okay," Jou said, giving the raven-haired boy a tight hug. "Everything's gonna be okay, I promise."

"Jounouchi..."

Anzu and Otogi stared at the pair blankly, still trying to accept this new tragedy. Shizuka was weeping, too, whispering, "Seto-kun...Yuugi-tachi..."

Marik finally managed to connect the random bits of sentences into a logical sequence. "So, the Pharaoh and his high Priest are dead, then," he smirked. He turned and started walking towards the blimp. "Best keep your eyes open, Rishid."

Jou stood suddenly, leaving a sniffling Mokuba still huddled on the ground. "You keep your vile hands off him, d'you hear!" he shouted.

Marik raised an eyebrow. "Why should I? Is the little chihuahua going to bark at me if I don't?"

"Why you..." Jou growled. "You of all people have no right to call me that!" He jumped forward and attacked the Egyptian dark empty-handed.

Marik whipped his Rod from its customary belt-loop and smacked it against the side of Jou's head, sending the poor blonde stumbling away. Jou fell to one knee and winced as a thin trickle of blood coursed down the side of his face.

"Idiot mortal. You know you can't win against me." He unsheathed the blade at the end of the Millennium Rod and stalked toward Jou, deadly intent flashing in his eyes.

Mokuba scrambled up and ran to stand in front of Jounouchi. "You leave him alone, creep!"

Marik growled. This little rat was getting in his way. He grabbed Mokuba by the neck and lifted him single-handedly off the ground, grinning insanely as the boy struggled against his grip. Jou growled and tried to stand, but his knees quaked and gave out under him; he fell back to the concrete floor and moaned.

"A single one of you moves, and I strangle Mokuba," the Egyptian spirit snarled. There was a moment of absolute silence. Then...

"Keep your grimy hands off my brother," Kaiba whispered. Marik jumped; no one was quite sure if it was from surprise, or from the sudden introduction of Kaiba's fingers to a vulnerable pressure point. The Egyptian gave a quiet exclamation of pain and released his death grip on Mokuba. Kaiba's fist met Marik's jaw, and the bronze-skinned dark slumped to the floor unconscious.

"Seto!" Mokuba leaped blindly into his brother's arms, clinging to his neck and letting loose the flood of tears he'd been choking back.

"I think it's high time we get out of this place," the elder Kaiba said.

* * *

**A/N 1:** Little longer, but not by much… 

**A/N 2:** Minor edits, chapter title change, title change. – WB 09Nórui2006


	9. Business As Usual

**Disclaimer: **WookieeBeta still does not own Yuugiou. And she is still not happy about it.

* * *

Changes in Latitude, Changes in Attitude 

Chapter Ten: Business as Usual

By WookieeBeta

* * *

Three weeks passed. Kaiba won the Battle City competition by default, as each of the other competitors were either disqualified or forced to forfeit (Bakura, Isis, Rishid, and Mai lost their duels and were therefore disqualified; Marik was placed in a mental institution; Jounouchi was diagnosed with a concussion and had to forfeit; Yuugi hadn't made an appearance since the virtual world). Jounouchi had recovered from his injury, and Ryou had used the power of the Millennium Ring to release Malik and Mai from the Shadow Realm and restore his own yami to his proper Item. 

Life was slowly returning to some semblance of normalcy.

"You know I could whoop your butt in a fair duel, Moneybags!" Jou yelled across the courtyard. The CEO kept his back turned. "What, you scared? Scared of facing a little ol' puppy like me? Wimp!"

"Put a sock in it, Katsuya," Kaiba yelled back. "I've got work to do. I'll take you out for a walk later, how does that sound?"

Ah, yes. Semblance being the key word. Kaiba's near-disappearance had brought Mokuba and Jou together, and as a result the blonde and the brunette had been forced to learn to tolerate each other. Kaiba had even agreed to pay for Jou's hospital bills, seeing as how the blonde certainly couldn't pay for them himself, and his father couldn't either.

"Only if you feed me first!"

"Burger World at three-thirty?"

"You're paying!" Business transactions concluded for the day, Jou turned back to his lunch and his open algebra book. "I _hate_ logarithms..."

* * *

Absently picking up his own sandwich, Kaiba flipped open his laptop and settled in for half an hour of uninterrupted work. No one would bother him during the lunch period; they knew better. But today he wasn't quite as pressed for time as usual. His new Board of Directors was reasonably competent; so far they'd only had to turn to him once or twice, and even then they'd carried out his instructions thoroughly instead of forcing him to do it all himself. As a result, he was actually managing to keep more or less ahead of schedule, and therefore had the luxury of spending an entire half-hour on his own personal project. 

A few clicks later, he'd pulled up a map of the world's underwater currents and overlaid it with a previously charted map. There were a few noticeable variations: One just off the coast of Taiwan, but that was a government project (he would know, he was indirectly funding a good portion of it), another just west of Great Britain that had been stationary for several years, and a third off the south coast of the United States. _Hmm...interesting... That wasn't there yesterday. And the disturbance off of Nova Scotia is gone._

He pulled up another chart, this one of the topography of the ocean floor in the Gulf of Mexico. Over three thousand meters deep in some places - plenty of room for Noa's underwater base, he reflected. It didn't draw more than 500 meters, although it could withstand much greater pressures. But the disturbance in the north-west sector... More typing, more maps. There. Alaminos Canyon. Not too far off the coast of South Texas. The canyon had already been extensively studied; there would be no activity there for several years at least. It was perfect.

Too perfect.

Kaiba frowned. He'd managed to track the base down, yes, but that still left one question: If he'd defeated Noa and destroyed the Big Five permanently (which he assumed was true, given that he hadn't heard anything from or about them in weeks, and they were not the type to stay quiet long), then who precisely was moving the base? And with such precision? It just didn't make sense.

But it didn't matter. He would destroy the base and its internal computer system regardless.

He smirked.

* * *

**A/N 1:** Two things. (a) Logarithms are truly evil. (b) The Alaminos Canyon really does exist, and it really is in the Gulf of Mexico; however, anything else I say about it from this point on has no basis in fact. 

**A/N 2:** Title change. – WB 09Nórui2006


	10. High Scores

**Disclaimer: **WookieeBeta still does not own Yuugiou. Please call off the rabid lawyers. They're slobbering on her keyboard.

**Warning: **Language.

* * *

Changes in Latitude, Changes in Attitude 

Chapter Eleven: High Scores

By WookieeBeta

* * *

"Seeya later, Honda," Jou said. 

The brunette grabbed his arm and stopped him. "Hey, where're you going? I thought you were coming to the arcade with me and Otogi."

"So did I," Jou replied. "But Mokuba wanted me to come over for a while. Se - Kaiba's going out of town today, and the poor little guy didn't want to be alone all evening."

"But doesn't he usually go with his brother?"

Jou nodded. "Usually, yes. But this time Moneybags said no, since he doesn't know how long he's gonna be gone and he doesn't want Mokuba to miss any more school."

"Well, I suppose that makes sense..."

"Yeah. I'll see if Mokuba wants to come hang out at the arcade, okay?"

"Sounds good - see you 'round!" The two separated, the brunette heading for the front exit while the blonde made his way to his locker to grab his books. Ever since he and Kaiba had more or less gotten over their differences, the CEO had been giving him a bit of a hand with schoolwork; his grades had improved considerably, and he wasn't about to let them fall again just because his unofficial tutor was halfway across the world. He could figure natural logs out on his own...right?

If not, he could always ask Mokuba.

* * *

"Hey guys!" Mokuba chirped, bouncing into the arcade with his eternal hyperness. "What's up?" 

"Otogi's score," Honda groaned. "He's absolutely destroying me! Not to mention wasting all of my money..."

The black-haired incarnation of energy grinned. "Here, let me try!" Honda stepped aside, and the young Kaiba took over the controls. In all of seventy seconds he'd quadrupled his score and wiped out Otogi's character, not to mention beaten the previous top score.

Honda just shook his head. _I shoulda known._

"So, who'd you beat?" Jou asked, leaning over. "Other than..._ah._" The first set of initials on the screen was, of course, Mokuba's, but each of the sets below it was the same: YM. Yuugi Mouto, or possibly Yami. Half-forgotten guilt rose again in his throat, and he turned away.

"Oh, Jouno...I'm sorry," Mokuba murmured. If only he'd remembered... Of course the top scores on this machine would be _his_. It had been _his_ favorite for years. Mokuba mentally cursed himself for forgetting something so obvious.

"It's all right," the blonde replied, ruffling the short kid's hair. "It's not your fault." _It's not your fault. He made the decision to stay, not you. He chose to sacrifice himself; don't waste his life...!_ Jou shook his head, trying to forget Kaiba's words from so long ago. How long now? Was it really only three weeks? It felt like ages.

"Hey, wait a second," Mokuba said, frowning as he peered at the screen. "Someone else must be using his initials, Jouno."

It was Jou's turn to frown. "Why? What gives you that idea?"

"Look at the dates on the side. These scores are from yesterday!"

* * *

"A short, spiky-haired kid, you said?" the teenaged cashier parroted. "Yeah, he was in here yesterday. Didn't stay long; played a few games on that machine over there and then left. Only reason I noticed him was because of his hair." 

Jou tensed. "What precisely about his hair?"

"Well, it was all spiky and shit, and had three colors - pardon my French, kid," he added, glancing at Mokuba.

The latter's eyes were wide. "Jou...that's him!"

"Who, 'him'?" The cashier frowned. "Hey, you guys aren't stalking this guy, are you?"

"No...he's a friend of ours who's been avoiding us recently," Otogi replied when he realized Mokuba and Jou were too busy muttering to each other to answer. "Has he been here any other time?"

The cashier shook his head. "I don't know. I only started last week."

"Well, thanks anyway, dude," Otogi said. Then, to Jou and Mokuba, "Look, guys, don't get your hopes up. He's pretty famous. Couldn't it just be that he's got some wacky fan who stole his hairstyle? I mean, I've had that happen to me before, and I'm nowhere near as well-known as he is; besides, the scores aren't _that_ good. If it really was him, even Mokuba wouldn't have been able to beat them."

Jou sighed. "Yeah, you're probably right." Then he glanced at his watch. "Ah, sheik! It's nine-thirty! Mokuba, I'd better get you home - your brother will kill me if he knew I kept you out late on a school night." Mokuba's eyes widened in agreement, and the two tore out of the arcade and down the street.

"...Kaiba'd be happy to kill him just on a general basis, but that's a whole 'nother set of stories," Otogi couldn't help but comment. Honda punched him upside the head.

"Owwww..."

* * *

**A/N 1:** (a) Natural logs are evil, too. Just thought I'd let you know. (b) Sheik is a fun word to use. I don't think it really exists, at least not in the sense that I use it, but it sounds cool. 

**A/N 2:** Took care of some typos; title change. – WB 09Nórui2006


	11. Lies and Eyes

**Disclaimer: **WookieeBeta still does not own Yuugiou. Pity her.

* * *

Changes in Latitude, Changes in Attitude 

Chapter Twelve: Lies and Eyes

By WookieeBeta

* * *

Planting his elbows on the desk and folding his hands in front of him, the gray-haired man leaned forward and frowned slightly. The charts on the wall behind him identified him as an oceanographer specializing in the Gulf of Mexico; however, the lack of certificates and awards suggested that he was a freelancer rather than a government employee. 

"Could you please explain to me again why precisely you want me to take you down to Alaminos, Mister Kaiba?" the grizzled man said.

The young CEO took a deep breath before beginning. He spoke English fluently, but the man's peculiarly Texan accent made him slightly difficult to understand; also, his own Japanese accent made it hard for the partially-deaf American to understand what he said. "I am researching for a new game I'm designing," he said as clearly as possible. "I am basing part of the game on this canyon; I'd like to see it first-hand, in order to make the game as realistic as possible."

The old man (Kaiba vaguely remembered his name as Smith) raised an eyebrow. "A game? Why precisely do you want to make a game about this canyon?"

"My company creates virtual reality games," Kaiba explained. "This will be our first solely educational game. We will base each section on one specific location roughly representative of each zone. Our computer randomly selected this canyon out of a list of possible locations."

Smith leaned back in his chair, seeming to accept this. "I'm sorry if I'm being rude," he said. "It's just that there have been some strange things going on in that area in the last few days, and I can't help but be a little suspicious."

It was Kaiba's turn to frown. "Strange things? What kind of strange things?"

"Oh, nothing most people would notice," Smith replied dismissively. "The fish have all deserted that area; it's like they've been spooked off. I've seen it happen before, when someone tried to plant a rig over the canyon."

Kaiba eyed the man uneasily for a moment before turning back to business. "When will you be able to take me out?"

"Ah...how does the day after tomorrow sound? If you stay here in Galveston, I can pick you up in the morning and drive you down to the company marina. We can be at the canyon by two in the afternoon."

Kaiba nodded in acknowledgement. "I would appreciate it greatly. What time should I expect you?"

"We'll have to get out of here pretty early if we want to have enough daylight at the canyon - how does three in the morning sound? I know it's obscene, but - "

"Three sounds excellent. I will expect you then. I'm in the single-room flat at Bishop's Bungalow - you know the location, I presume?"

Smith nodded. "I used to live near there. Three AM, day after tomorrow."

"Perfect. Have a good day, Mr. Smith."

"And you, Mister Kaiba." They shook hands, and the Japanese teen left.

Behind him, Smith shut the door and sat on the edge of his desk. "Man, they sure do turn 'em out young over there these days."

* * *

"What're your plans for the weekend, Jou?" Anzu asked, glancing up from her book just long enough to ask the question. 

"Mmmmph vrrrng grrgh vrrhe fughorugho vhifhg mhhrghhrvuh."

The aspiring dancer sweatdropped. "Uh...chew, and _then_ answer," she suggested.

Jounouchi swallowed his huge bite of hamburger and tried again. "I'm going to see Sugoroku with Mokuba," he repeated.

"You're not serious!" his friend blanched. "Jounouchi, you can't just go see him out of the blue and start talking about Yuu - I mean..."

The blonde glowered at her in a remarkably good impression of Kaiba. "I have to know, Anzu. I just have to. If it was him, I have to find out why he's been avoiding us, and if it wasn't then at least I can offer 'Jiisan some support."

"You do what you want, I suppose," Anzu sighed. "I just don't think this is a good idea..."

"Just go back to reading your book, Anzu," the blonde replied.

The day passed slowly. Psychology and Language Arts were painfully boring; with Yuugi missing and Kaiba absent, algebra was even worse than usual. At long last the final bell rang, and Jou was out the door like a shot. It was a half-hour walk to the Kaiba mansion. Mokuba surprised his "surrogate brother" (as he'd taken to calling Jou in the elder Kaiba's absence) by opening the door himself and nearly forcing a plate of cookies down the blonde's throat as they left. They lasted all of one block. The raven-haired Kaiba's hyperness seemed to wear off as they approached the Kame Game Shop; Jou's anxiety level was sky-high and still rising.

"Well, nothing for it but to go for it, I s'pose," he said with forced cheerfulness. "You want to do the honors?" Mokuba shook his head, suddenly shy, so Jou knocked on the door himself. It opened almost immediately.

"Welcome to Kame Game Sh - oh, Jounouchi! And Mokuba! What are you two doing here?" The elderly Mouto's tone was light, but the blonde could see the slump in his frame that hadn't been there before.

"We came to see how you were doing," Jou said quickly, stepping inside. "I...I take it Yuugi hasn't turned up?"

Sugoroku shook his head with a sigh. "No. You would have been the first to know, I promise."

"...ah..." Jou's face fell; he'd been hoping against hope that his friend really had managed to escape somehow, and to hear anything to the contrary was almost heartbreaking.

Mokuba felt the tension in the air, and it made him uncomfortable. So he dug into his arsenal of 'atmosphere-breakers' and pulled out his usual weapons: Hyperness and The Kiddy Eyes. "Hey, Jouno," he said, tugging on Jou's sleeve. "Jouno?"

"Yeah? What is it, pipsqueak?"

"Since we're here...can I get some new cards? Seto almost never lets me come!" The cuteness factor jumped one notch, then another.

"Well..."

And another.

"Oh, come on," Sugoroku laughed. "I'll put it on your brother's tab, all right?"

"Cool!" Mokuba chirped, grinning. _Score for the Eyes!_

* * *

**A/N 1:** Nothing to say. Move along, move along… 

**A/N 2:** Title change. – WB 09Nórui2006


	12. Personal Projects

**Disclaimer: **WookieeBeta still does not own Yuugiou. Please call off the rabid lawyers. They're slobbering on her keyboard.

* * *

Changes in Latitude, Changes in Attitude

Chapter Thirteen: Personal Projects

By WookieeBeta

* * *

Kaiba opened the door almost before the American knocked. "Good morning," he said in greeting.

Smith jumped. "Oh! Good morning," he replied quickly. "You ready?"

"One moment." Kaiba stepped back inside just long enough to close his laptop and slip it into his briefcase; it was all the luggage he had, and there was no way he was leaving his briefcase behind for even a moment. "Now I am."

"Great! I'm parked just down the street." The white-haired man gestured to an unobtrusive pickup idling on the corner. Kaiba eyed it warily for a moment, automatically thinking of all the ways an assassin could secrete a remote-operated bomb in the front seat alone, before shaking himself and realizing he was in one of the few places he was decently safe. Not only had KaibaCorp.'s technology not been introduced in America yet, he knew from past experience that Galveston was notoriously slow to adjust to new systems. Mostly because a lot of the newer technology was extremely vulnerable to the salty air, and thus almost everything had to be reengineered to be corrosion-resistant. And it was highly unlikely that any of his usual enemies would have followed him halfway around the globe to a desert island.

He opened the door and climbed into the passenger seat, crossing his long legs and resting his feet on his briefcase. "About how long is the drive?" he asked.

Smith thought for a moment. "About four and a half hours, unless traffic's really bad - if so, five. Plenty of time to sleep, if you want to."

Kaiba shook his head slightly. "Will it bother you if I work on my laptop?"

"Not at all."

Wordlessly, Kaiba keyed his security code into the hidden panel on the side of the briefcase, then entered a completely different code into the two more mundane locks on the top; the case clicked open, and he pulled his laptop back out and flipped it open. It was still on. He entered yet another different password and accessed the KaibaCorp. mainframe.

"What're you working on?" Smith asked, glancing at the screen. Kaiba hesitated for a moment, but decided the man was just curious; after all, the screen was in an odd mix of English, Japanese, and computer code, and even the least inquisitive of people would have to wonder a bit.

"It's a new prototype design for another game system," the CEO explained. "I've already built the first version and run it through my initial testing sequence; this is the third version so far. The final product should be released in three months, along with a new series of games - the one I'm researching for included."

Smith whistled. "How many people are working with you on this?"

"One, if you count my beta-tester."

Smith blanched. "You're doing all this yourself?"

"As soon as the product and first game are finished, I'll turn my code over to my Board of Directors. They'll complete the project while I start on the next one."

"And how long ago did you start this?"

"Last Monday," Kaiba smirked. He had to admit, it was amusing to see the American so impressed. Here in this "greatest of countries" it apparently took a year or two to release a new game, and three to five for a new system. For a long time, it hadn't been so different in Japan; then he'd taken over KaibaCorp. and everything had changed. His company was still the fastest and most efficient, but the smaller companies were slowly beginning to catch up.

The hours passed slowly. Smith was obviously tired, but he was hiding it well, and as the sun began to rise he seemed to shake himself out of his stupor. Kaiba, of course, was wide awake; he had time to upload a fully revised set of plans to the central computer, e-mail his Board the new projected release date, and program almost half of a new game designed chiefly for Mokuba. Like several of the kid's other games, it would never be released to the public; they served threefold as gifts, an enjoyable way for Kaiba to sharpen his programming skills, and a chance to test out new innovations on a willing subject.

He'd just finished creating one of the key fight sequences when Smith interrupted his work, announcing that they were almost there. The CEO quickly shut down his computer and stowed it back in its usual home in his briefcase. He smirked; soon, he would defeat Noa totally and completely, finishing what he had started back in the virtual world.

* * *

**A/N 1:** Sorry for the shortness - the next two sections needed to be together, and besides, this was a longer scene than most.

**A/N 2:** Title change only. – WB 09Nórui2006


	13. New Thoughts, New Games

**Disclaimer: **WookieeBeta still does not own Yuugiou (or Monster Truck Madness). Except in a random moment or two of delusion.

* * *

Changes in Latitude, Changes in Attitude

Chapter Fourteen: New Thoughts, New Games

By WookieeBeta

* * *

White. Endless, eternal, infinite white; like the Shadow Realm, but pure and clean, not dark.

Well, mostly clean. Marik grinned manically, eyes flitting from bloodstain to bloodstain. He'd never seriously hurt himself, no; too hard to rule the world when he was hurt. But that didn't mean he didn't cut himself sometimes.

Anything to end the white.

Too much.

Even his clothes were white, he realized with disgust. Thin, and airy, like what pretty-pretty _hikari _had worn in Egypt, but white.

He hated white.

White was Thief-King. White skin, white hair, white _hikari_, white lies (and black, but what was black? The inverse of white, that was all), white Thief-King.

How he longed for the pretty purple shadows.

They were such fun to play in, the shadows...not like mortal shadows. They weren't just shade cast by a solid object; they were living clouds, solid substances with voices of their own, magical beings that loved toying with minds just as much as Marik himself. Pharaoh and Thief-King lived in their Items, yes yes, but Marik had never lived in the Rod. He was attached to it; he followed it relentlessly; he had never lived inside it. He was not a long-dead spirit. The Shadow Realm had been his shelter - his home - for as long as he could remember.

There was no white there. The Realm did not like white. It was too light of a color; too unnatural.

No white.

No Thief-King.

No Pharaoh.

But...no pretty-pretty light, either. And that made it wrong, didn't it? He existed for his pretty-pretty. Sure, he wanted the God Cards; sure, he wanted the Items; sure, he wanted to destroy the world. But that was just so that his pretty-pretty would be happy. Because pretty-pretty loved destruction. And what better to destroy than everything?

All for his pretty-pretty.

All for the _hikari_.

All for the light...

All for the white…

He loved white.

* * *

"So...what did Sugoroku say?" Anzu asked. She was sitting in Jou's living room, half-heartedly watching the blonde and Otogi play some racing game she'd never heard of.

Jou shook his head distractedly. "No sign of him. He hasn't turned up at all. I guess you were right, Dicey-boy."

"See? You should listen to me once in a while. Especially when I say things like...eat my dust!" The light on the screen changed to green, and both trucks roared to life, tearing down the twisting road like there was no tomorrow.

Anzu rolled her eyes. "Guys are hopeless."

"Hey!" Honda protested from the other end of the couch. "I resent that remark!"

"I said guys, not monkeys."

Jou cackled. "Oooooh, score for Anzu," he said.

"That was low," Otogi added with a grin. Honda just glowered at a random speck of dust floating in the air.

"So, I still don't get what the attraction to this game is," the lone girl commented a few moments later after Otogi's truck flipped over, effectively ending the race. "I mean, it's nothing compared to the newer games, and yet you three treat it like some sort of religious artifact."

All three boys turned to gape at her. "Are you - " Honda started –

" - insulting - " Jou added –

" - Monster Truck Madness!"

"...eep..." Anzu sweatdropped. "Er...no? I just...don't understand your obsession, that's all."

"Well then!" Jou said, standing and gesturing for her to take his spot on the floor. "Otogi, you and Honda do the honors of introducing our poor sheltered friend here to the greatest race in history, and I'll go find some chips - deal?"

"Deal!"

"But I don't - !" It was useless; already the two boys were forcing her into the well-worn spot on the carpet and handing her the controls. She sighed and just went with it.

When Jou came back in, she had a somewhat manic look on her face and was glaring intently at the screen, eyes flicking back and forth from the map in the upper left-hand corner to the actual road. There was another truck just in front of her, and the detour just ahead; her eyes glinted and she swerved off the road, heading for the broken bridge.

"No, Anzu, you don't go there! What are you doing?" Honda shouted.

"Wait," Otogi interrupted, holding his brunette friend back. "I want to see what she does."

Anzu spared a moment to toss them a grin before turning her full attention back to the screen. There was the end of the bridge, just coming into view; on the right, she could see the pre-programmed truck dutifully following the detour. They were still neck-and-neck at the moment. The gap was closer now, and closing at a frightening rate. _A little more...just a little more...now!_ She kicked the joystick violently left, and was rewarded with a smooth jump from the corner of the bridge to the bottom of the dirt heap. A few pieces of heavy machinery later, she was powering up a glassy slope and back onto the road, her opponent left far behind.

"Bwaha! Beat that, ya bugger!" she exclaimed as she passed through the final checkpoint.

"Go, Anzu!" Honda cheered.

Otogi raised her arm in the victory pose. "And the winner is...Mazaki Anzu!"

The newly-hooked gamer grinned. "Okay, I take it back - I get what the attraction is now." Honda and Otogi high-fived.

"...but I still say you guys are hopeless!" She ducked quickly, and the two pillows sailed harmlessly over her head.

Jou chose that moment to step back into the room, and both pillows caught him squarely in the face. The throwers and the intended target all burst into laughter, but quieted down almost instantly when they saw the blonde's face.

"What is it, Jou?" Otogi asked, jumping to his feet.

"I just talked to Mokuba on the phone," Jou said quietly. "The institution called him a few minutes ago... Marik's escaped."

* * *

**A/N 1:** Monster Truck Madness is the awesomest game I have ever played. And the bridge thing? It really works. Just don't run into the crane, cut the corner into the hill as close as possible, and you can shave off ten seconds easy. :nod:

**A/N 2:** Minor edits, title change. – WB 09Nórui2006


	14. The Calm and the Storm

**Disclaimer: **WookieeBeta does not own Yuugiou. Or Alaminos. Or sanity, apparently.

* * *

Changes in Latitude, Changes in Attitude 

Chapter Fifteen: The Calm, and the Storm

By WookieeBeta

* * *

Everything was so peaceful here under the surface, Kaiba mused. No chaos, no interruptions, no frantic phone calls from an incompetent Board of Directors; just calm, and quiet, and solitude. He could understand why Noa had chosen to build his base away from land. A person could get so much more done here. 

And did, obviously. He'd been surprised when he first laid eyes on Smith's private sub. It was a small affair, only meant for three or four people maximum, and crammed to bursting with research equipment, but there was nothing without a purpose, nothing extraneous. All of the equipment was well-worn, but everything was top-of-the-line and kept in excellent condition.

Smith, too, had turned out to be something of a surprise. His insecurity, so glaringly obvious on solid ground, had disappeared the instant he touched the controls; here under the waves, he was assured, confident, in control. _This is a man I could work with,_ Kaiba decided.

Right now the Texan was piloting the tiny sub out of the marina with one hand and speaking into the radio held in the other. His face was stern.

"What do you mean, we have to cancel?" he raged. "I promised my client I'd take him out today, and I won't have the chance again for another four weeks - no, it can't wait until then! Why are you so emphatic, anyway?"

The radio crackled, but Kaiba couldn't make out what was being said. Still, he had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. He _had_ to get out there today... He was busy for the next three months with producing and marketing the new line, he wouldn't have time to deal with this. It had to be done now, while his Board hadn't yet figured out that they could shift all their work onto his shoulders and receive nary a complaint. While he still had time.

"So what if there's a storm?" Smith retorted. "I've been out there in a hurricane before - a little tropical storm isn't going to bother me. Besides, we'll be down far enough that it won't matter." More crackling. "Yeah, I'll ask - hold on a sec. Hey, Mister Kaiba," he said, turning to face the teen.

"Yes?"

"We've got a little bit of a problem. There's a tropical storm out in the Gulf, right where we're going. Now, I don't think it's an issue - I've been watching it for a while, and I don't think it's gonna grow anytime soon - but my buddy onshore says he just received a new report that predicts it's gonna get really nasty out there. Do you want to go out anyway, or head back in and wait for a few more weeks?"

Kaiba hesitated. He had to get this done...but then again, he didn't want to put anyone's life or equipment on the line, and if the storm was as bad as Smith's "buddy" made it out to be... "Give me a moment," he decided. He brought his laptop out of his briefcase (Smith had allowed him to bring it in) and flipped it open, accessing the KaibaCorp. satellites. He wanted a bird's-eye view of this storm.

"You probably won't get reception from in here," Smith warned him.

Kaiba smirked. "Oh, I will. This particular laptop is more powerful than any three of your government's computers combined, I'm sure of it. Here's the storm, by the way." He spun the laptop around and handed it to Smith, who whistled.

"I've never seen such a clear satellite image! Well, it's your call, Mister Kaiba."

"We'll do it," the CEO decided. _Worst come to worst, we can break into the base itself - I've cracked through Noa's security once, I can do it again._

"You heard that, bud? My client said we're go."

More crackling. This time Kaiba could faintly make out the words "your funeral."

"Well, then," Smith said with a tight grin, clipping the radio back onto its receiver, "let's get moving!"

* * *

Jounouchi shifted uncomfortably. He hated hospitals; he hated institutions even more. Too much white. The dead silence was unnerving. 

"Hey, Malik?" he whispered quietly.

He jumped when the disembodied voice spoke in his ear. "Yeah, Katsuya?"

"You feel your yami anywhere around here?"

There was a long moment of hesitation before Malik replied, "...yeah. I do. But it's not...I don't know, not _him_ exactly. And it's faint, like he's not been here in a while."

"Well, you're real helpful," Jou hissed sarcastically.

There was a distinct cold sensation to his right. "Forgive me if I'm not exactly pleased about tracking down the spirit that killed my father and tried to kill me," Malik snapped back.

Jou snarled. "Take a good long moment and think about precisely who you're talking to, and then say that again, bud."

A sigh. "I'm sorry, Jou. I'm just...afraid."

"Never thought I'd hear you say that. It's okay, Malik - Namu. We'll find him, and then Ryou and Bakura will help you send him back to the Shadow Realm. I haveta shut up now, all the doctors are looking at me funny. You let me know when you sense anything new, all right?"

"Sure."

It was strange, the Brooklyn blonde reflected, how quickly they'd all managed to adapt. First to the fact that magic really did exist, and that several of their friends and neighbors were able to wield it; then to the fact that two of these same friends had alternate personalities that just happened to be their Ancient Egyptian incarnates; then to the idea that yet another magic-bearer was trying to kill them; now to the fact that several of the people that had once tried to destroy them needed their help to survive. Malik, who had used his Millennium Rod to force Jou to nearly wipe out his own best friend, was now almost hiding behind him in spirit form. Things had certainly changed.

"Katsuya," the Egyptian hissed suddenly. His voice was tinged almost imperceptibly with fear. "Katsuya, he's here...I can feel him... He's using the Rod on someone in this room."

"But I thought _you_ had the Rod!" the other blonde snapped back.

"I gave it to my sister for safekeeping, since I couldn't use it - but that doesn't matter. If he wants it badly enough, he can activate it without being anywhere near it." There was a definite note of terror now. "Jouno... He knows I'm here... Jouno? Jou, what's wrong?"

Jounouchi smiled suddenly, a malicious grin working its way across his face. "Why, nothing's wrong now, pretty-pretty."

* * *

**A/N 1:** If you haven't seen the English version, "Namu" is the fake name that Malik uses to enter the Battle City tournament. 

**A/N 2:** Minor edits, title change. This is where the last version left off; to this point it really hadn't changed much, which is good, so none of the details should be weird. Chapters will probably be longer from here on out, but no promises. And to the wonderful people who reviewed the _last _time I tried this – many many thanks for your support, and hopefully this time I won't get bored of it halfway through! I'm planning on uploading another two or three chapters tomorrow, and after that we'll see. – WB 09Nórui2006


	15. Found

**Disclaimer: **WookieeBeta does not own Yuugiou. Except in her stranger dreams.

* * *

Changes in Latitude, Changes in Attitude

Chapter Fifteen: Found

By WookieeBeta

* * *

The sub rocked gently, buffeted by the subtle back-and-forth currents that meant the surface was a raging tempest. Smith was pointing through the port side of the front viewing window.

"That's the leading edge of the canyon," he explained. "I'm going to spin us around and approach it dead-on; we'll drop down into the canyon without the interference of the waves. I'm afraid you won't get any good overhead views today, but I can't trust the water up there. Too violent."

"That's fine," Kaiba replied. "I can get the overhead view from my satellites, anyway. It's the inside of the canyon I want to see."

Smith grinned. "In that case, then..."

The CEO found himself eerily reminded of Mokuba, or perhaps the elder Mouto. The old oceanographer faced every new challenge with a manic leer, and he hadn't once mentioned any regrets about coming out. Kaiba couldn't help but wonder if the man wasn't a thrillseeker.

But those thoughts were swept aside as they descended into the calmness of the canyon. The water was dark, as the sunlight from above was dimmed by the storm and filtered out through the salt sediment, but not _that_ dark, and the lights on the sub's exterior played over a stunning variety of marine flora. For the first time in a long while, Kaiba was stunned into speechlessness.

"Welcome to Alaminos," Smith said with a smile.

"It's...much more than I would have expected at this depth," the Japanese teen managed after a moment. "More alive, that is."

Smith nodded. "That's what most people say when they first see it. And it is, really, or at least much more so than most of the other canyons in the Gulf. No one's really quite sure why. And remember, you're not seeing everything. Between the storm and most of the fish being spooked off anyway, you're missing the vast majority of the local fauna. Usually I can't see ten yards for the schools of fish that like to sit down here."

Kaiba's elation disappeared as he was suddenly reminded of his purpose here. "What's it like farther down?"

"Want me to tell you, or just show you?"

"Show me, please."

There was a moment of silence as the sub dropped lower into the canyon. Kaiba peered intently out of the viewing ports on either side, half watching for any telltale flash of metal and half taking a simple kind of delight in the array of living things just outside the steel structure.

"We're almost to the bottom now," Smith announced a moment later. "I won't drop her any farther down, unless you want a few samples - if I do, we'll start kicking up dirt, and then you won't be able to see a thing."

"This is fine," Kaiba assured him. Smith spun the sub in a slow circle, giving him a good long look at the canyon wall and at the surrounding area.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" the oceanographer said softly. "This is the whole reason I chose this career, you know. You'll never see something like this up above. And you'll never have this kind of freedom."

"Ever tried flying?" the CEO replied absently. Then his eyes narrowed, and he leaned forward. "Wait a moment...what's that?" he asked, pointing.

"What's what?"

"There, farther down the canyon. I thought I saw something flash."

Smith looked suddenly ecstatic. "Great! I'd bet anything you saw a school of fish. Let's go check it out, eh?" The sub twisted back to face forward, and then her owner's careful hands urged her onward into the darkness. The probing lights reflected off of something in the distance.

"That's strange," Smith frowned. "They're not moving. I've never seen a school just sit there before." There was a long silence as he gave the sub a little more speed, hoping to scare the fish into moving. Finally they were close enough to make out the reflecting object in considerably more detail. Smith inhaled sharply.

The CEO's fingers dug into his seat's thin covering. "I don't think that's fish," he commented wryly.

Ahead of them loomed the giant dome of Noa's base.

* * *

Malik froze in place, paralyzed with terror. He was utterly vulnerable. The Rod was thousands of miles away, and the only person who knew where he was and was in any position to help him was being mind-controlled by the person who was trying to kill him - or, rather, steal his body. Not that it mattered; it amounted to the same thing. The Shadow Realm would destroy him just as easily as a knife to the throat, and more painfully to boot. Worse yet, he didn't even know precisely where the dark spirit was. Which meant he couldn't call for help without putting his new friends' lives in grave danger.

"Mou hitori no boku," he murmured softly. "Please...Mariku...please stop this..."

"Stop what, pretty-pretty?" Malik repressed a shudder; it was Jou's face, and Jou's voice, but those were his dark half's eyes staring quizzically at him. He suddenly understood why Yuugi had been so determined to free his friends from the control of the Rod, even at the cost of his own life. It was a terrible thing to see.

"Stop hurting people," the lighter half pleaded. "I don't want you to hurt anyone anymore."

Another confused look; this time, tinged with hurt. "Pretty-pretty doesn't like the suffering?"

"No," Malik replied, tears springing to his eyes. "No, I don't. I just want you to come back to Egypt, with me. Can you do that?"

"Back? To Egypt?" Jou's face frowned. "But...darkness does not want to go back. Pretty-pretty likes it here, does he not? Doesn't pretty-pretty like it here?" The frowning lips twitched for an instant, and suddenly it was a furious Jounouchi staring out through the amber eyes.

"Malik, get your spirit butt out of here!" he snapped quickly. "He's - he's stronger than you were - I can't hold him off very long - go, go warn Ryou and Bakura! Go on, get out of here!" Sweat was running down his face in rivulets, and the Egyptian could see the occasional flash of pain that meant his dark was trying to regain control.

"But Jouno - "

"Just _go_, Namu!"

It was the unexpected use of his assumed name that spurred the Egyptian into action.

"Just hold out for a while longer, Jou!" he shouted over his shoulder as he sped through the nearest wall.

Behind him, Jou gave tiny exclamation of pain and sank to his knees, holding his head in his hands. The doctors were all bombarding him with questions, asking him what was wrong; the other visitors in the room were staring blankly in shock. Had they really seen that pretty blonde boy running through the wall, shouting? Or was that just their imagination?

* * *

**A/N: **First of the new chapters!


	16. Reveal

**Disclaimer: **WookieeBeta does not own Yuugiou. Except in her stranger dreams.

**Warning: **Language.

* * *

Changes in Latitude, Changes in Attitude

Chapter Sixteen: Reveal

By WookieeBeta

* * *

"Ryou!" Malik shouted wildly, barging through the albino reincarnation's apartment wall. "Ryou, Tomb Robber, anyone, help - what in Khemet!"

Ryou struggled to speak, but the gag muffled his words beyond comprehension. His face was pale and streaked with tears. Beyond his bound form, Malik could see the dismembered remains of the Millennium Ring.

"Well well," an all-too-familiar voice sneered. "A little late to join the party, aren't you?"

The Egyptian snarled. "You're supposed to be dead. How did you get here?"

"Oh, I'm not your little friend," the short figure replied. "He's long gone. Though, I'm not sure we've ever met... Did your worthless companions ever happen to mention the Big Five to you, perhaps?"

"What the hell have you done with Mouto!" Malik raged. _Damn damn damn damn _damn! _This was _not _in the plan!_ For the moment, there was nothing he could do but stall until either he came up with a plan or someone else happened to stumble in, preferably with a cell phone. Stupid stupid spirit form...couldn't carry anything physical. So, no cell phone, and no Rod. Not even a damned motorcycle.

The spiky-haired duelist sneered again. "Done with him? I've done nothing with him. Now, my lawyer friend here says he may have killed him, but no one's quite sure... Not that it should matter to you. After all, we've done you a favor by removing your enemy, right...Malik?"

Their words struck a more glancing blow than they could have known. After the duel between Jounouchi and Yuugi, the Egyptian teen had vowed that he would not kill any of the duelist's little fan club; no one with a bond of friendship that strong deserved to die. Nor would he banish them to the shadows. Break them, possibly; steal their Items, certainly; kill them, no. And yet, when the Tomb Robber's light had released him from the Shadow Realm and informed him that the Pharaoh was dead, his first response was to inquire after the puzzle and the God Cards.

And then in his much-weakened state, he had been forced to rely on the Pharaoh's followers for aid; with time he had become quite attached to them. He'd even apologized to the mutt, for Ra's sake.

"Keep your honeyed words to yourself, murderer," he snapped. _Wait a moment... Even if it is Yuugi's body, the soul - or souls - inhabiting it are neither _yami _nor_ hikari he realized. _Which means they shouldn't be able to see me..._ He took a few careful steps to the side, being extremely careful not to make any noise, but the cold violet eyes followed his every move.

"I wouldn't suggest trying to run," not-Yuugi said smugly. "We were fortunate in our choice of bodies. Physically it may be weak, but it certainly has some interesting powers...such as the ability to see and inflict damage upon spirits such as yourself..."

_Uh-oh_.

* * *

"What the hell is that?" Smith exclaimed.

Kaiba eyed the base somewhat apprehensively. "It's a mobile underwater computer system, with a single section able to support human life," he said.

Smith shot him a suspicious glance. "How do you know?"

"I've been in it before."

"Okaaay... Er, which part are you talking about, exactly?"

Kaiba pointed to the dome. "The main section, on top. The rest is just a protective shell containing one of the world's most powerful computers." He turned slightly to look Smith directly in the eye. "And you're going to get me in there."

The American blanched. "I'm _what!_ Oh, no no no. No way in hell am I gonna tangle with that thing. Matter of fact, we're turning around right now and reporting this to the police." He reached for the radio and pulled it off the hook, only to realize that the wire was disconnected.

Kaiba held it up and twiddled it between his fingers. "If you get me into that thing, and then back out, I'll replace the wire and quadruple your pay. If you refuse, I'll kill you and do it myself. It's your decision."

Smith glowered at him for a long moment.

"I don't make idle threats," Kaiba said flatly. "Or idle promises. You have ten seconds to decide."

"Fine. I'll do it," Smith said after a moment's hesitation. "But only on one condition."

The CEO raised an eyebrow. "And that is?"

"I want to know exactly who you are and what you're up to."

Kaiba couldn't help but laugh.

"What's so funny!"

"I'm the CEO of Japan's biggest, most powerful company," Kaiba said. "I think I've mentioned before that I create virtual reality games. That base there contains the greatest, most advanced, and by far the most dangerous virtual reality world in existence; I can name two people who have died there that I knew well, and several more that were my employees. To make a long story short, I'm here to destroy the thing."

The oceanographer was staring at him open-mouthed. "...oooookaaaaaaay...forget I asked. You said you wanted in? If this thing's so advanced, then won't it have a security system?"

"Highly unlikely," Kaiba replied, shaking his head. "I wiped out most of the defences when I blasted out with my blimp."

"Blimp?" Smith shook his head. "Never mind, don't tell me. I don't want to know."

"No," Kaiba replied icily, "you don't." He retrieved his laptop one more time and flipped it open. "And no, there isn't any security. You should be able to use your sample-retrieval claw to pry the doors open; they should open easily, and if there is any damage KaibaCorp. will reimburse you."

"I guess you're the boss," Smith sighed. He moved the sub forward and positioned it so that he could grip the very edge of the dome cover with the claw. True to Kaiba's prediction, the doors slid open easily, and the sub slipped inside.

_Now comes the hard part,_ Kaiba told himself. He would have to open the submarine's hatch, swim outside without flooding it, find a way to destroy the base without killing himself in the process (all the while treading water, since the chamber would no doubt be flooded), and make it back into Smith's sub and away before all hell broke loose.

"I really hope you have a plan, Mister Kaiba," Smith said as the sub settled on the steel floor. "Because I sure don't."

"I'm working on it," the CEO responded tersely. Then, "What the!"

The water was draining from the chamber, leaving the sub resting in only an inch-or-so-deep puddle. He winced and shielded his eyes as all of the lights in the chamber suddenly flickered on simultaneously.

Smith was looking decidedly more nervous now. "I don't suppose this is a good thing?" he asked.

"Hardly. Move over," Kaiba replied. Long slim fingers deftly manipulated the black wire back into its rightful place in the radio set, and he twisted the dial to a familiar frequency. The voice that crackled through the receiver was speaking Japanese.

"...please step outside of your vehicle, and I promise you will not be harmed. I repeat, if the intruder will please step outside of the vehicle, you will not be harmed. Can you hear me? Please step outside of your vehicle..."

Kaiba blinked a few times in surprise.

"What is he saying?" Smith demanded.

"He...wants us to get out of the sub," Kaiba replied once he had regained control of his vocal chords. "I...I think I should go first..." Smith nodded, and unlocked the hatch. By this point he was willing to do anything the younger man said; after all, at least the kid had a clue as to what was going on.

Kaiba hesitated as the too-familiar stun lasers swiveled around to aim point-blank at his torso. Then he growled.

"Don't you dare shoot me, Mouto."


	17. Communication

**Disclaimer: **WookieeBeta does not own Yuugiou. Except in her stranger dreams.

**Warning: **Language.

* * *

Changes in Latitude, Changes in Attitude

Chapter Seventeen: Communication

By WookieeBeta

* * *

White-coated doctors were trying valiantly to hold the blonde's limbs down as he thrashed and writhed; trying, but not succeeding. He'd already broken the nose of one and knocked a few teeth out of another.

"We need a tranquilizer!" a tall woman shouted over the general melee.

There was a moment of frantic movement before someone shouted back, "What kind?"

"Any kind, as long as it's strong!" a different doctor replied. "And hurry, damn it!"

"Everyone shut up so we can hear what he's saying," the first doctor snapped. "Are you idiots listening? Shut up!" The room was suddenly much quieter, and the blonde's shouts were much more pronounced.

"Nooo! Get out of my head, you Egyptian bastard - I don't care if you want to follow your pretty-pretty! No! Get out of my head! ... Stupid stupid mortal, thinking you can defeat me that easily! ... I said, get...out...of...my..._head!_"

The doctor with the broken nose raised an eyebrow. "Oh, yeah. He's a strange one, all right. Delirium and almost schizophrenia, at the very least."

"We'll diagnose him later," the woman doctor said. "Go open a room. We're going to hold him here until he calms down."

The bloodied man shook his head. "No can do. We're out of rooms."

From where he was preparing the tranquilizer, the Asian doctor asked, "What about Ishtar's room? I don't think we're going to find him anytime in the next few hours - it's not a permanent solution, but it'll do for now."

The woman doctor gave a relieved sigh. "Akira, you're a lifesaver," she said. "We'll put him in there for now - look out!" The blonde, who had been relatively quiet for a few moments, had started jerking again, and his fist narrowly missed her colleague's jaw.

"Tranquilizer coming through!" One of the smaller doctors ducked out of the circle, leaving room for Akira to slip in and plunge the needle into the blonde boy's arm. Within seconds his screaming stopped, and then he fell deathly still.

For a moment there was no sound but that of the doctors' panting.

"All right," the woman said wearily. "Let's get him into Ishtar's room."

Unbeknownst to the many doctors, the mental battle still roared on. /Damn you, Marik, get out of my mind/

/Want - to - find - the - pretty-pretty/

/He _has_ a name, you know/

There was a moment of silence. Jounouchi could almost hear the dark spirit blink in surprise. /Name/

/You're an idiot, Malik, you really are. Did you know that? Now, get _OUT!_/ With a sudden burst of energy, the Brooklyn blonde managed to force the Egyptian spirit completely out of his head and back into his own brain. Then, exhausted, he fell into a deep not-entirely-drug-induced sleep.

Standing unnoticed in the back of the visitor's area, a deeply tanned man in a doctor's lab coat with spiky blonde hair murmured, "What name?"

* * *

There was a long silence as Kaiba clambered out of the sub and landed gracefully on the steel floor. Slowly, the stun lasers lowered back to their normal resting positions.

"Ah, Mister Kaiba?" Smith said, poking his head out of the hatch. "They're talking on the radio again. I still can't understand it."

Kaiba glared up at the ceiling, where he knew there had to be at least a few video cameras. "Speak English, Mouto," he snapped. "Or better yet, use the speakers Noa used instead of the radio. I can't hear you out here."

He heard the radio crackling; Smith said, "He says he can't figure out how to do it. He says you're the first person who's found this place; he's never bothered with the real-world technology before. Do you understand any of that?"

Kaiba chose to ignore the American's question, instead saying, "Then bother with it now, Mouto. You've got a lot of explaining to do."

Smith ducked back down into the sub for a moment, but then, satisfied that the radio was silent for good, climbed back out to stand next to the much taller teen.

"So...care to tell me what's going on here?" he asked lightly.

Kaiba glared again at the unseen video cameras. "Not particularly, considering I don't exactly understand it myself. But it appears that one of those people I said died here, didn't."

"...forget I asked."

"I'm running out of patience, Mouto," Kaiba snapped.

"...en! Gomen, gomen nasai, Kaiba-san..." The voice was excited, nearly crying, but still speaking Japanese. Smith raised an eyebrow.

"English," Kaiba growled.

"Oh...sorry," Yuugi's voice came again, this time in halting English. "My English is...not so good. I haven't - er - speaked it in a long time."

"Then here's your chance to practice. I want to know exactly what happened, from the time we left you and Jounouchi by the truck."

There was a moment of hesitation. "I have...better idea. I can run the virtual reality program and speak to you face-to-face. It...cross-speaks...talks each person in their…general…language."

Kaiba frowned. "I thought you said we were the first. How can you know that, if there's no one but you to test it on?"

"Mou hitori no boku doesn't speak Nihon-go or English."

"Are you sure you can handle the program? Because I swear if you get me trapped in it, I'll blow this base to smithereens with you still inside."

"The program is...less difficult than this," Yuugi reassured him. "One moment."

Smith was looking jittery. "Could you please, please, please explain what's going on?" he asked.

"My friend - that voice is my friend - is going to transport us into the virtual world I told you about so that we can speak face-to-face and all understand each other. Apparently the program can address each player in his native language."

"But I thought you said the world is dangerous!"

"It was. But if what I think happened happened, then we have nothing to fear. Now be quiet."

Both men watched with more than a little apprehension as the portal opened in the floor in front of them; Smith, because he still had no idea what was going on, and Kaiba because he had very bad memories of this particular kind of portal.

"It is not dangerous," a new, slightly deeper voice said. "You have my - our - word on it."

"You'd damn well better be right, Pharaoh," Kaiba said, stepping forward, "or I'm going to make your afterlife hell." He jumped into the gaping hole.

"Kaiba!" Yuugi exclaimed, giving the CEO a tight hug as he climbed back to his feet. Then he backed away, face burning in embarrassment, and mumbled, "Sorry...it's just...I've been really lonely here."

Kaiba's stern expression softened. "It's all right, Mouto - Yuugi. I don't blame you."

"Yaaaah!" Smith stumbled as he landed, and picked himself up off the ground with a conspicuous lack of grace. He eyed Yuugi's small form a little uneasily. "Who're you?"

"I'm Mouto Yuugi," the spiky-haired duelist said in introduction, bowing. "I'm sorry if I frightened you earlier..."

But Smith's eyes were smiling. "Ah, don't worry about it, little guy. I figure, as long as Mister Kaiba here isn't worried, I shouldn't be. I'm Smith, by the way." He extended a hand, and Yuugi shook it tentatively.

"I'm still waiting for that explanation," Kaiba said, but less coldly this time.

Yuugi took a deep breath before launching into the story of how Jou had carried him away from the truck, and how they had gotten turned around and ended up walking in circles until the helicopter had shown up. "And from there, you pretty much know what happened," he said. "You landed, Jou got in, I got attacked, and you took off; after that, there's not much to say. I managed to summon a few monsters and hold the Big Five off for a while, but my luck ran out; they knocked me unconscious, locked me into the game, stole my body and escaped into the real world, I suppose." He shrugged. "And that's it."

"And you've been here, alone, ever since?"

"Other than Yami, yes," Yuugi replied quietly. His eyes were shimmering.

Kaiba bit his lip in uncertainty, a rare thing for him. Then he knelt and pulled the shorter duelist into an embrace. "It's going to be okay, Yuugi, I promise. Everything's going to be okay."

Yuugi sniffed into his shoulder and tightened his grip on the CEO's waist. "That's what Yami keeps telling me...but I just don't see it, Seto," he murmured. Tears were streaming uncontrollably down his face, but his voice was calm, controlled, even. "I just can't see how you or anyone else can do anything. The Big Five have probably already disappeared to some third-world country; they'll never show their faces again, I'm sure of it. And even if they do, what can we do about it? Noa was the only one who knew how to transfer minds to and from bodies, and he's long dead..."

"I'll figure it out," Kaiba promised. "If Gozaburo could do it, I can do it. Just don't worry anymore, all right?"

"Yeah...thanks, Kaiba," Yuugi said, smiling weakly. He stepped away from the CEO and rubbed his arms vigorously.

Smith cocked his head. "Hey, Mister Kaiba, Yuugi...do you hear something?"

Yuugi frowned and nodded slightly. "Yeah...Yami, what is it?"

A fourth figure shimmered into existence behind Yuugi, one hand on the smaller form's shoulder. "Yes. It's your cell phone, Kaiba. I can't redirect it here; you'll have to return to the real world to answer it."

"I'll go open the portal, and see if I can't clean up the signal for you," Yuugi offered. "Reception down here is horrible, but I may be able to do something..." He faded suddenly, leaving Kaiba and the Pharaoh with a very confused Smith.

"It's...good to see you again, Kaiba," Yami said after a short moment.

"And you, Pharaoh," the CEO replied. "You seem to be holding up much better than your lighter half."

The former ruler gave a wry smile. "You forget, I was imprisoned in the puzzle for three thousand years, completely alone. Four weeks in a computer system with my _hikari _at my side and an entire game system to explore and defeat..." He shrugged. "I'm afraid it's been something of a vacation for me."

_He looks rather pale and thin for it to have been a vacation,_ Kaiba couldn't help but think. _Noa was unaffected by the time, and so was Yuugi; it's stress, not a lack of nourishment, that's wearing on him. The Pharaoh isn't quite as jaded as he'd like to believe._

Smith jumped slightly when a solid oak door suddenly appeared in front of them. Mentally slapping down the not-so-unreasonable fear that jumped up in his throat at the sight (after all, he'd nearly lost his brother to one of these doors), the CEO grasped the handle and flung it open, stepping through calmly. The transition was unbelievably smooth; aside from the usual drop to the ground, the only thing that told him he was back in his own body was the sudden sound of his phone ringing. He'd been curious, after the first run-in with the program; it shouldn't have affected their physical forms, and yet they'd all materialized out of thin air. He wasn't sure he believed Bakura's explanation - "stupid Pharaohs can't keep their hands off their powers" and other growled comments of that nature – but it _did _make sense, in a twisted sort of way.

Shrugging off his uneasiness, he vaulted back into the sub, unlocked his briefcase again, and picked up the phone on its sixth ring.

"Kaiba speaking," he said tersely.

"Nii-sama!"


	18. Don't Hang Up

**Disclaimer: **WookieeBeta does not own Yuugiou. Except in her stranger dreams.

**Warning: **Language.

* * *

Changes in Latitude, Changes in Attitude

Chapter Eighteen: Don't Hang Up

By WookieeBeta

**

* * *

Previously on CLCA:**

_"Kaiba speaking," he said tersely._

_"Nii-sama!"_

* * *

Kaiba stiffened. "Mokuba? Mokuba, what's wrong? What's going on?" His brother's voice was panicky, high and shrill and quick, and he sounded like he was trying not to cry.

"Everything, Seto, everything's wrong," the boy sobbed. "Marik escaped from the institution, and the Big Five have Yuugi's body and are holding Ryou hostage, and I think they killed Bakura and maybe Malik too, and Anzu and Honda and Otogi are all being mind-controlled again, and you're not here and I can't find Jouno anywhere and Seto I'm just so scared!"

Scared was an understatement; he was obviously terrified.

"Okay, Mokuba, take a deep breath," Kaiba said. "Just calm down. I can't do anything unless I know exactly what's going on, so you're going to have to tell me. Okay? Deep breath, and just don't worry...just don't worry, okay? Mokuba? Mokuba, you there?"

"I'm here," he whispered weakly. "Okay, Seto, I'm calm now...what do you want to know?"

"First, I want to know exactly where you are."

"I'm - I'm in your office," came the answer. "I'm sitting behind your desk, using your phone."

"Okay. Good. That's good, Mokuba, that's very good. Where are the Big Five?"

There was a moment of hesitation. "They're in Yuugi's body somewhere," he said. "I think they're still at Ryou's apartment, but I'm not sure..."

"All right. What about Marik?"

"No one knows...no one knows, Seto, that's what scares me..."

The elder Kaiba took a deep steadying breath and advised Mokuba to do the same. This was bad. This was very, very bad. Carefully, he talked his brother through giving him the rest of the details; yes, this was very, very, _very_ bad. The only people that could possibly help at the moment were Jounouchi and possibly Sugoroku, and the former was missing in action.

"Okay, Mokuba, here's what I want you to do," Kaiba explained. "Pick up the phone on the other side of my desk and call the Kame Game Shop."

"I...I don't remember the number," Mokuba said shakily. He sounded like he was going to panic again. "God, Seto, I'm so sorry, I'm sorry..."

"Shhh, that's okay...it's okay, Mokuba. I can find out for you. Just give me a minute." He held the cell phone against his ear with one hand and clambered back out of the sub, one more time. "Mouto," he said into the stillness. "Mouto, I need your help. I need to know your phone number."

"What? Why?" Yuugi asked, obviously confused.

"Just tell me what it is," he snapped. There was half an instant of silence, and then the unseen duelist rattled off a string of numbers.

"S-Seto?"

"Yeah, Mokuba?"

"Is that...is that really Yuugi you're talking to?"

"Yes, Mokuba, it is."

"Where are you, Seto?"

"I'm inside Noa's underwater building right now," he said.

Mokuba let out a little screech. "Are you all right! How did you get there? What are you doing? Are you okay?"

"Calm down! Calm down, everything's fine, I promise - I'm a lot safer than you are right now. I just want you to calm down, okay?"

He could hear his younger brother breathing on the other end of the line. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm calm. What's the number?"

Seto gave him the number, and told him to ask for Sugoroku.

"Okay...it's - it's ringing, the phone's ringing," Mokuba said. "What should I say?"

"You're going to tell him that you need him to come pick you up from my office because I had to take the car on a sudden trip, and that you need a place to stay tonight, okay? He'll say yes."

"...okay..."

"And when you get in his car, you're going to explain everything to him the way you just explained it to me, and he'll take you somewhere safe."

"Okay..."

Kaiba gave a small sigh of relief. Finally, both of them were calming down a bit. "Hey, Mokuba?"

"Yeah?"

"You know I love you, right?"

"Yeah...I love you too, Seto. Oh! Sugoroku-san? I - I need a ride from my brother's office, can you pick me up...? He had to - had to leave, and he took the car... Yes, thank you! Thank you!" There was a moment of silence, and then Mokuba said, "Nii-sama?"

"What is it, Mokuba?"

"Should I hang up?"

"No, Mokuba. I want you to stay on the phone until Sugoroku gets there. And then I want you to take the spare cell phone from my desk drawer and keep it with you. Okay?"

"Spare cell phone...got it," the raven-haired youth reported. Kaiba heard the sound of a drawer closing.

"Good. Now turn it on."

"On...right. Seto...I'm still scared..."

"Just keep talking to me, Mokuba. Pretend I'm sitting right next to you. Just keep talking to me."

"Okay...just keep talking...okay... Jouno took me to the Game Shop a few days ago and let me buy some new cards. I know you don't like me to go there - you're not mad at me, are you? God, Seto, I'm so sorry, don't be mad - "

"I'm not mad at you, Mokuba," the brunette reassured him. _Heavens, no, I'm not mad - I just wish I was with you, instead of halfway across the world trapped in a giant submarine with no hope of reaching you in time to do anything..._ "What cards did you get?"

"Nothing - nothing good," was the reply. "A few magic cards, and a new trap card called - Seto!" His voice dropped to a barely audible whisper.

All of Seto's nerves suddenly went on the alert, triggered by the terror in his brother's voice. "What? What's going on, Mokuba?"

"There - there's someone at the door... I think it's Sugoroku..."

A silent sigh of relief. "Then go with him," Kaiba said.

"But, Seto... I can't... I think there's someone at the window, I can hear them moving around, Seto I'm scared...!"

"It's okay, it's okay, shhhh," the elder brother said in as soothing a voice as he could muster. His skin was crawling; his gut was twisting in on itself; he wracked his mind for solutions. "From where you're sitting, can anyone at the window see you?"

"N-no," was the unsteady answer. "Unless they saw me getting the other phone, I don't think they know I'm here..."

"Okay. That's good. That's good. Now...er..."

"Seto?"

"Yes?"

"You don't know what to do, do you?"

Kaiba sighed. "No, Mokuba, I don't."

"You're scared..."

"Yes, I am. I'm terrified. But I don't want you to hang up, Mokuba, do you understand? No matter what happens, I don't want you to hang up."

"...okay..."

"All right. Which end of my desk are you at? The one with the coffee cup, or the one with the lamp?"

"Coffee cup."

"Even better. Unless my secretary moved it, there should be a big potted plant not too far away. Is it there?"

"...yeah. Yeah, it is."

"I want you to crawl behind it."

"But Seto, the phone - !"

"I want you to hang up, crawl behind the plant, and call me on the cell phone. I'm going to walk you out of my office and into the hallway, away from windows. Okay?"

"Yeah. Yeah, okay. I'll...call you right back."

"Okay. You do that."

"I love you, nii-sama..."

"I love you too, Mokuba." The tall brunette couldn't help but wince when he heard the line go dead. He leaned back against Smith's sub and allowed himself to sink weakly to the floor, not caring who saw him.

* * *

**A/N:** Many thanks to Glastea, who was kind enough to leave a review! Just a heads-up: I've just switched to an Apple, which doesn't have Word yet, and I'm going to be out of town all next week, so updates may be sporadic for a while. The Blogspot link listed on my profile has the complete fic (listed as "What Happened After"), but be warned - it's being edited as I go, so it's not entirely accurate. As the change in title shows. sweatdrop 


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